Flax-treating machine



C. G. COOKE. FLAX TREATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21,1912.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

//v VE/Y 70/? C. G. COOKE.

FLAX TREATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILEDJUNE21,I9I2.

Patented Oct, 5, 1920;

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. G. COOKE.

FLAX TREATING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21,1912.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES.

CLAYTON G. COOKE, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, FIBRE COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE,

FLAX-TBEA'IING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

Application filed June 21, 1912. Serial No. 705,070.

To all whom it mayconcerm p p Be it known that I, CnAYroN G; OOOKE, a citizen of the United States, residing in New Haven, county of New Haven, and

tion with decorticating machines, in order to remove the seed from the stock before such stock is fed into the decorticating machine. In the operation of decorticating flax, for example, it is highly important to remove all of the seed before the straw is fed into the d'ecorticating machine, as otherwise the seed will be crushed by and will adhere to the rolls and other parts of the machine, thereby impairing considerably the efficiency of the latter.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a seeder whereby improved results are obtained as regards the eflicient separation of the seed from the straw, and which is adapted to be placed in front of the decorticating machine (and to be driven thereby) in such a manner that the flax or other stock, after having the seeds effectively removed, passes directly, without any intermediate operations, into the rolls or other parts of the de'corticating machine which then immediately break it and subject it to those other operations which reduce it to a fibrous mat.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a combined seeder anddecorticator in which the stock passes from the seeding mechanism to the decorticating mechanism without being subjected to undue tension, so that the long fiber is not broken before or as it passes to the decortica ting instrumentalities. More particularly, this object is attained by suitable proportioning of the speeds of a number of seeding rolls with respect to each other and to the first or feed rolls of the decorticating mechanism.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, I

Figure l is a front end elevation of a seeden constructed in accordance with my invention, certain parts being broken away for the sake of clearness,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine, showing its general arrangement with respect to the decorticating machine,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the seeder looking from the opposite side,

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the seeder,

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the same, I

Fig. 6 is a detail of the vibrating roll,

and

Fig. 7 is a detail of the means for shaking the screens.

Referring to the drawings, the machine is shown as comprising a frame A having side pieces or frames 10. At the front of the frame A is a feed table 13. At the rear of the frame A, the seeder is adapted to be placed against the frame of the decorticating machine C, with which it is connected in some appropriate manner. The particular construction of the decorticating machine C is not, of course, material, but such decorticating machine will usually be provided with feed rolls 11 at its front end cooperating with a number of breaking and other rolls (not shown).

Extending alon one side of the decortieating machine C is the driving shaft D therefor. This shaft is adapted to be coupled at its front end, by any appropriate means, to the driving shaft D of the seeding machine, which is mounted, on one of the side frames 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The shaft D transmits rotary motion to the feed rolls 11 of the decorticating machine through suitable transmission mechanism, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The shaft D of the seeder, on the other hand, drives -a plurality of separating rolls which constitute the seeding mechanism of the seeder, as will now be described.

At the end of the shaft D the same carries a bevel gear 12 meshing with a bevel gear 13 on the lower end of a stud shaft 14 mounted on the seeder frame A, and carrying at its upper end a bevel gear 15. The bevel gear 15 meshes with a bevel gear 16 on the shaft 17 of an intermediate separating roll 18 disposed intermediate of the ASSIGNOR 1'0 AMERICAN LINEN rolls 22 located behind the feed rolls 11 of the decorticating machine, while in the rear of the rolls 18 with respect to the direction of feed 2'. e. at the front of the seeder, is another pair of cooperating rolls 23 located adjacent the feed table B and between which the straw is directly pushed from said feed table. In practice, the interval between the rolls 23 and the rolls 18 will be approximately equal to that between the rolls 18 and the rolls 22, and approximately the same provided with finer transverse flutes.

interval will exist between the rolls 22' and the feed rolls 11 of the decorticator. The first rolls of the seeder i. e. the rolls 23, are driven from the lower roll 18 by means of agear 24 on the lower roll 23 meshing with an idle gear 25 on the machine frame, which idle gear meshes in turn with a gear 26 on the shaft 17 located in front of the gear 19. The upper roll 23 is driven from the lower roll 23 by means of a gear 27 on the shaft of thejupper roll meshing with the gear 24 on the shaft of the lower roll. The third pair of rolls 22 is driven from the shaft 17 of the lower roll 18 by means of the gear 26 which meshes with an idle gear 28 engagingv in turn a gear 29 on the lower roll 22. The upper roll 22 is driven from the lower roll. 22 by means of a gear 30 on the formerengaging the'gear 29.

Each of the rolls 23 of the first pair is provided throughout its periphery with longitudinal flutes or corrugations. The flutes of the upper roll do not, however, mesh with those of the lower roll, for this would c'ause'a breakage of the seeds between the rolls, thereby gumming the latter and impairing their satisfactory operation. In order to avoidthis drawback, the rolls 23 are very slightly spaced apart from each other, just sufiiciently to avoid breakage of the seed. 'The next pair of rolls, 2'. e. the intermediate rolls 18, are provided with rather coarse transverse flutes, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and the third pair of rolls are In rig. 5 the fluting of the second and third pairs of rolls is not'fully shown but it is to be understood that the flutes extend over the entire peripheries of the rolls 18 and 22. The upper roll 22 is arranged to vibrate, i. e. to reciprocate longitudinally. It is mounted insliding bearings, and an arm 31 loosely embracing and fixed against longitudinal movement with respect to the shaft 32 of said roll, has an end portion 33 operating in a straight guide 34 on the machine frame. The opposite end of the arm 31 carries a roller 35 operating in a groove 36 of a cam 37 on the shaft 38 of the lower roll 22. In this manner the upper roll 22 will'be vibrated or moved lengthwise to a slight extent during its rotary movement, the gear 30 moving longitudinally to a certain extent with respect to the gear 29, as will be obvious.

Between the rolls 23 and 18 is a flat table or plate 39 having beveled edges to permit the dropping of the seeds between said plate and the lower rolls 18 and 23. A similar plate 39 is interposed between the rolls 18 and the rolls 22. At the front of the machine is an inclined guard 40 beneath the rolls 23 to deflect inwardly the seeds dropping from said rolls, and a similar deflecting member or guard 41 is located at the rear of the machine 7;. e. in advance of the rolls 22 with respect to the direction of feed. These guards 40, 41, assist in deflecting downward beneath the rolls all of the seed separated out by said rolls, and the falling seed is first received in a vibrating sieve 42 below which is a similar vibrating sieve 43. The sieves 42 and 43 aresuspended in the frame of the machine in a well known manner by means oflinks 45, and'said sieves are reciprocated longitudinally in opposite directions by mechanism actuated by an upright stud shaft 46 located at the side of the machine opposite the driving'shaft D. The shaft 46 is journaled in suitable brackets 47 on one of the side frames 10 and carries at its upper ends. bevel gear 48 meshing with and driven by a bevel gear 49 on the shaft 17 of the lower roll 18. Fixed to the intermediate portion of the shaft 46 is a cam 50 having a cam groove 51 in which operates a roller 52 carried by a cross-head 53 connected at its respective ends with the sieves 42 and 43 by means of links 54 and 55 respectively, as best shown in Fig. 1.,

The cross-head 53 is pivoted at 56 to a bracket 57 on the adjacent side frame 19, and as said cross-head is rocked or vibrated on its pivot by the rotation of the cam 50 the sieves or screens 42 and 43 will be reciprocated lengthwise in opposite directions, as will be understood.

Beneath the screens 42 and 43is a vibrating chute 58 pivoted to one of the side frames at 59 and inclined downward from the pivot, as shown in Fig. 1. The chute 58 is provided with suitable upright side walls which are converged at its lower end, as shown at 60 to provide a discharge spout 61 at one side of the machine, the spout portion being provided with a small tip section 62 of foraminous material, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear. The chute 58 is given a vibratory swinging movement in a lateral direction on its pivot '59 by means of a ratchet cam 63 on the lower end of the shaft .46, the teeth of which cam are adapted to engage a pin 64 on a lever "65 pivoted at its lower end by a pivot "66 to a bracket orstrip 67 fixed to the free end of the chute 58. The opposite'end of-the lever 65 is pivoted'at68to'one of the side frames 10, at the upper end of the lever, so that the latter'acts as an oscillatory support forthe free end of the chute '58. As the ratchet cam 63 is rotated'by the rotation ofthe shaft 46, the teeth of said cam successively engage the pin 64 on the lever 65, andthe chute '58 is thereby given movements in a lateral direction, "the alternating return movements being produced by the tendency of the parts to assume by gravity their normal position. In this manner, the chuteis given ashort, quick vibratory motion in a lateral direction to shake down toward and-through the discharge spout 61 of'the chute the seed dropping from the l'ower'sieve or screen 43. At the back of the machine and somewhat above the chute 58 is an air chest or chamber 69 supplied with air "under pressure from a suitable source, fed to said chest or chamber by means of'a flue or duct 70. At the'lower portion of the chamber or chest 69 is a comparatively narrow slit 7'lthrough which the air issues in a thin film which passes forwardly over the chute 58 toward the front of the machine to thereby separate the falling chafi' from the seed and blow it out at the front of the machine, although the chaff is prevented from passing up at the front of the machine, as it meets a depending; guard 7 2 overhanging'the chute 58 and partially inclosing the space above the same. A small duct 73 leads downward from the main air flue 7.0 and is directed laterally at 74 so as to extend beneath "the foraminous or perforated portion 62 of the discharge spout of the chute. The tip of Said air duct is provided with a number of perforations, as shown in Fig. 2, through which air is discharged through the interstices of the foraminous portion 62 for the purpose of blowing away the chaff and preventing 'it from passing with the seed to the receptacle or container which is "usually placed beneath the discharge spout to receive the seed.

The operation of the machine is substantially as follows: The sizes of the transmission gears of the seeding rolls are so chosen that the first air ofrolls 23 is rotated somewhat faster tllan the-second pair of rolls 18. The third pair of .rolls 22 is rotated faster than the intermediate rolls 18 and preferably a little .fasterthan the first rolls 23. Moreover the third rolls 22 are driven slightly faster than the smooth feed rolls 11 of the decorticating machine '0. The flax or other stock to be seeded is placed on the feed table B and pushed into the bite of the 1011- gitudinally fluted or corrugated rolls 23. These rolls, as previously explained, do not contact with each other and in fact do not come so close to each otheras to mash the seed. The function of these spaced rolls is to roll the stock thoroughly in one direc tion, breaking the-seed pods along lines corresponding to the direction of the flutes of the rolls. From the rolls 23 the stock passes to the intermediate rolls 18 which rotate somewhat more slowly,so that there will be no tendency for the long fiber of the stock to be broken as it passes from one pair of rolls to another. Of course, the long fiber must not be broken in the seeder if it is desired to produce long fiber in the decorticating machine; The intermediate rolls 18 roll the stock on lines offset from the lines on which it has previously been rolled by the rolls 23. In the embodiment shown, the flutes or corrugations of the rolls l8 and 23 respec'tivelyextend at right angles to each other, to insure the breakage of the seed pods along quite'diflerent lines, but this arrangement need not be adhered to under all circumstances. The seeds which are shaken out of the broken pods either pass down in front of the first rolls 23 and are deflected into the sieve 42 by the deflector or batfle 40, or they pass downward into said sieve through the openings left at the margins of the table'or plate 39. From the intermediate rolls 18 the stock passes over the next table 39 tothe third rolls 22. These rolls are fluted or corrugated in the same direction as the rolls 18, and hence as there will be no tendency for the long fiber to be broken by tension between the rolls in question, as the transversely fluted rolls will permit the fibers to slip between them the third rolls 22 may be driven faster than the intermediate rolls, as previously explained. The flutes of the third rolls 22 break the seed pods on new lines owing to the difference in the fineness of the flutes, and as the upper roll 22 is vibrated lengthwise by the mechanism hereinbefore described, there is a rolling action substantially at right angles tothe direction of feed, which is especially effective in further breaking up the seed pods and in rolling and-separating the seed out of the pods. From the rolls 22, the stock passes directly to the smooth feed rolls ll of the decorticating machine, said feed rolls being driven somewhat slower than the rolls 22 in order to permit the stock to loop up in the interval between the rolls in question and thereby .prevent breakage of the long fiber. It has been found in actual practice that the seeding rolls will take all of the seed out of the stock before the latter passes to the feed rolls of the decorticating machine, so that the parts of the 'decorticating machine are prevented from being gummed up by the crushing of the; seed. In other words,there is no trouble encountered in the decorticatingmachine due to the presence of seed in the fiber being decorticated.

It will readily be understood from what hasbeen said above, that the seed separated out by the seeding rolls passes successively from the sieve 42 to the sieve 4E3 and thence to thedischarge chute 58 beneath which a suitable receptacle or a conveyer is placed to catch the falling seed. By the use of the air blast in the manner described, the seed thus collected will be quite clean and itmay or may notbe subjected to the ordinary fanning process, as may be desired. 7 Y.

Of course, I have not-attempted to de: scribe the numerous modifications of the construction which may be adopted without departing, from the invention- While the described -manner of fluting the seeding rolls and the particular speeds at which such rolls are driven relatively to each other and to the feed rolls ofthe decorticating machine, are of importance in certain aspects of the in-t vention, these and otherfeatures are susceptible of many variations in other aspects of the invention. It will be obvious, also, that if desired theseeder may be built into the de corticating machine instead of having its side frames separate from those of the decorticating machine. It has been found more convenient, however, to manufacture the seeder in the form of a separatemachine, as shown and described.

I 'do not claim hereinthe seeder per 86, as the same is claimed in my Patent No. 1,284,246, issued NovemberlQ, 1918.

What I claim is: a r

1. The combination with the first rolls of a decorticator, 'of a plurality of pairs of fluted seeding rolls in front of said first rolls, the flutes of two adjacent pairs of seeding rolls being disposed in different directions; substantially as described.

2. The combination with rolls driven at apredetermined speed to advance the seeded stock, of seeding rolls in front of and driven faster than said first named rolls; substantially as'described.

3. The combination with a decorticator having feed rolls driven at a predetermined speed, of a seeder having seeding rolls to feed the stock to said feed rolls, operating at a higherspeed than said feed rolls; substantially as described.

A. The combination with smooth rolls to advance 'the seeded stock, of transversely fluted seeding rolls in front ofvand driven at a higher speed than said smooth rolls; substantially as described. j

The combination with a decorticator having feed rolls, of a seeder having a plurality of pairs of rolls, the last pair of seeding rolls feeding the stock directly to said feed rolls and operating" atv a higher speed than said feed rolls, certain of the'fseeding rolls. being provided with differently arrangedflutesf and so driven as to prevent breakage of the long fiber;- substantially as described. r V v 4 6. The combination with a decorticator havingfeed rolls,of a plurality of fluted rolls located in front of saidfeed rolls, said fluted rolls being arranged and fluted in such a manner as to removethe seed from the stock without breakingthe straw, and means for driving said fluted rollsat such speeds relative'to each other, and said feed rolls, that the straw passes through said fluted rolls and into said feed rollsv without suflicient tensioninthestock to break the long fiber; substantially as described.

7, The combination with a decorticating machine, of a seeder located i'n front of said decorticating machine, and adapted to feed the stock thereto, said seeder "being constructed and arranged to remove the seed from the stock without. breakage of the straw; substantially as described.

8. The combination with a decorticating machine, having. a plurality of rolls, of a seeder located infront of said decorticating machine, and having a plurality of seeding rolls, saidseedingrolls being so arranged and fluted as to removethe seeds from the stock. without breaking the straw, and means for driving all ofsaid' rolls at such relative speedsthat thestock passes through the seeder and into the decorticator without being subjected to breaking tension; substantially as described. q

9. The combination with a d'ecorticator having feed rol1s of a pair of fluted rolls in front of said-feed rolls,- said fluted rolls adapted to remove the seed from the stock, but'separated from each other to prevent breakage of the straw, and means for driving said-feed rolls and said seeding rolls at such relative speeds that the stock traverses the interval between them devoid of breaking tension; substantially as described.

10. In a flax-treating machine consisting of a flaxseeder and decorticator, a series of flax-treating rolls arranged in cooperating spacedpairasaid series of rolls comprising a pair of longitudinally fluted seed-removing rolls, a pair oftransversely fluted seedremoving rolls, a second pair of transversely fluted seed-removing rolls having means for longitudinally, vibrating one of the rolls, and a pair of decorticator feed rolls; common means for driving each pair of rolls, said first mentioned'transversely fluted rolls and said decorticator feed rolls being operatedfto receive the flax in a looped, slacked condition, and the first and second pair of transversely fluted rolls, operating to ad-. vance the flax in a taut stretched condition;

whereby the flax straw is delivered to the decorticator rolls free from seed and in an unbroken condition.

11. In a fiber stock-treating machine consisting of a seeder and decorticator, a series of stock-treating rolls arranged in spaced pairs, comprising a pair of longitudinal fluted seed removing rolls, a plurality of pairs of transversely vfluted seed-removing rolls, and a pair of decorticator feed rolls; common means for driving each pair of rolls, one pair of said transversely fluted rolls and said decorticator feed rolls being operated to receive the stock in a looped, slacked condition, and the plurality of pairs of transversely fluted rolls operating to advance the stock in a taut stretched condition; whereby the straw is delivered to the decorticator rolls free from seed and in an unbroken condition.

12. In a fiber stock-treating machine consisting of a seeder and decorticator, a series of stock-treating rolls arranged in spaced pairs, a shaft for operating said rolls, said series of rolls comprising a pair of seedremoving rolls adjacent one end of the stock-treating machine, positioned to receive the stock in an unthreshed condition, a pair of decorticator feed rolls spaced from the seed-removing rolls, a plurality of pairs of seed-removing rolls positioned between the said pairs of rolls to receive the stock from the first mentioned pair of rolls in a looped slacked condition and to advance the stock in a taut stretched condition, and said decorticator rolls being operated to receive the advancing stock in a looped slacked condition, whereby the straw is delivered to the decorticator rolls free from seed and in an unbroken condition.

13. In a fiber stock-treating machine consisting of a seeder and decorticator, a series of stock-treating rolls arranged in spaced relation, a single means for operating all of said rolls, said series of rolls comprising seed-removing rolls positioned adjacent one end of the stock-treating machine to receive the unthreshed stock, decorticator feed rolls spaced from the first mentioned rolls, and a plurality of stock-engaging rolls positioned between the decorticator feed rolls and the seed-removing rolls, said rolls operating to feed the stock in a looped, slacked condition as it leaves said seed-removing rolls and as it is received by the decorticator rolls, but in a taut stretched condition by the intermediate rolls; substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on the 20th day of June 1912.

CLAYTON e. dooKE.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. ROCKWELL, M. O. WILLIAMS. 

